Lunch Break Laws by State (and What to Do If You’re Denied)
No federal law requires your employer to give you a lunch break — about twenty states do, and the rest leave it entirely to your employer. But federal law does govern when a break has to be paid, and that’s where most break disputes actually live. Here’s which states require a meal period, when an unpaid break becomes compensable work time, and what to do if you’re being denied one.